Thinkpads Forum

I've got a T61 running a 64-bit OS, a 2.4ghz processor with 4gb of RAM. I've been doing Android development and have noticed how using the Android virtual machine (VM) will push my processor up in the 180-200F temperature range. I suspect increasing RAM would speed up the VM...but will it decrease the load on my processor and result in a cooler machine?

Generally no it will not help with CPU cooling. There will be other benefits but a significantly cooler CPU will not be one of them.

180-200F is 83-93C with is way to high. When it comes to computer temps, we generally work with Celsius. Intel CPU mobile or desktop of that era will start to become unstable at those temps. By 2.4 Ghz, I'm assuming you are running a T7700? If so then that maybe your issue right there. The T7500 and T7700 are known to run hot. For the T61 generation a favourite replacement for this CPU is a T9300 which is the next generation. All things being equal Meroms (T7xxx) runs hotter than Penryn (T9xxx, T8xxx).

Another thing that would be beneficial is to take everything apart, give it a good cleaning and dusting then reapply thermal paste. After 4-5 years, especially 4-5 years of hard use, thermal paste will dry up and no longer conduct heat efficiently.

Yet another thing you can do is download Thinkpad Fan Control (TPF) to manually run the fan faster, sooner. However at 80ish deg C the fan is probably going at max speed anyways.

Finally, if you want to take it a step (miniscule step) further, swap the HDD out with a SSD. HDD run hotter and is enclosed withing the laptop case. That heat will conduct towards the CPU area a little bit. A silent and cool SSD will help with case cooling and is the single biggest improvement to the computing experience.

If you decide that you really need more memory for other reasons beside heat, I'd consider upgrading to a T400/T500 as these take DDR3 which is much cheaper than a DDR2. Don't be worried about being stuck with a T9300 because these are easy to sell. A SSD will migrate with you to a few upgrades and will benefit both a laptop and desktop.

I just bumped my RAM to 8gb in this unit. Temperatures at full load do seem significantly lower than previously w/4gb. I am running an SATA as a main drive on this unit w/a standard hd in the ultra bay. Good suggestion on new thermal paste on the cpu (and gpu) in this unit.

I guess you were talking about the second T61 in your signature, the one with the T7700.
I too would suggest to replace the CPU with a cooler-running T8300 (same as your other T61) or T9300.
And if you haven't done so, apply Middleton's BIOS to both machines.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo/ ... ost6501443
It will give them SATA II speed, especially noticeable with SSD drives in the main HD bay.

Actually, the machine discussed is the first one. I'll do the Middleton BIOS in addition to the thermal paste refresh in the next few days. Thanks RBS.

If you were running out of RAM, it might be the case that a lot of disk I/O is needed for virtual memory--- which demands CPU power and result in extra heat
Otherwise, it might have something to do with Vt-d.